In a recent interview with City People’s WALE LAWAL, Nigerian actor cum politician, Desmond Elliot shared why he is a typical and complete Nigerian.
Also in the interview, he talked about what motivated him into politics and how his wife felt after announcing to her that he was venturing into politics
See excerpts below…
What was the reaction you got from immediate family members, starting with your wife, when you announced you were going into politics?
Okay, early year 2000, I’d told my wife already about my desire to go into politics. When I met Asiwaju in 2006, I told my wife and she saw how excited I was. She didn’t really take me seriously, but she supported. It was when I started staying up late in 2013 to 2014, meeting with leaders to speak to them about my aspirations, and then I get home late in the night. I would start explaining to my wife about who I met, what they said, then, she began to take me serious from that period. In 2015, I had a family meeting with my mum, my brothers and my sister, and there and then I told them of my intentions and what I wanted to do. And of course they gave their support.
Tell us about your background. Tell us about Mum, Dad.
My father was Engineer Emmanuel Bamidele Elliot, born to Yoruba parents. He’s from a place called Olowo in Lagos Island. In 1955, they moved from Lagos Island to Surulere and settled in Gbaja. My father and family have been in Gbaja since 1955 and we’re still there till this very moment. My Dad is late now but his elder brother, Pa Elliot is still alive. I still have my brothers and half brothers and we’re great together. My father had two wives, my mum being the second, she is Delta-Igbo, from a place called Ilah, same place where Steven Keshi is from. They’re very wonderful and we’re quite close. I grew up in the north, in Jos.
I had my primary, secondary and part of my university life in Jos. I attended St. John College, Jos, I went to a place in Pankshin called Plateau College, Sharam, then I went to Air Force Primary School, Jos. And my wife is from Akwa Ibom, so you can see that I am North, South, East and West, you can see that I’m a typical and complete Nigerian and it flows through my veins.
Having all these extractions around me has helped me love and appreciate people, understand ourselves as Nigerians and see that we’re so different, yet perfectly unique. I’ve come to appreciate every tribe and tongue, and really, all of these have helped form part of who I am. For a good part of my life, I’ve been known as Sola, it was when I was getting into the movie industry that I decided to adopt the name Desmond because my last name is English as well.
